336! 2025 Wild Prognostications: A Year in Review!

This week, Aaron, Jess and Joey revisit their 2025 prognogs from Episode 296. They talk about the micro social media surge, cynicism, platform madness, informed styling, blockbusters, weaponized compliance, non-apocalyptic runaway AI moments, and our AI overlords. They don’t talk about eggprogs. references If I ruled the world ... People: Bob Mackie Says 'People Were Horrified' by Cher's 'Naked' 1974 Met Gala Dress, Even Ripping Her Photo off Magazine Covers Tasting ultra-aged eggnog America's Test Kitchen: How to Make the Absolute Best Eggnog Louis Pasteur Memphis Group Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend Podcast: Conan Blames Jason Bateman For His Dad's Death Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Split Fiction AAA (video game industry) quod erat demonstrandum The New York Times: Gonzo Fans Have Made ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ Into a Global Blockbuster Michiko Kakutani's 1995 The New York Times book review of Wicked: Let's Get This Straight: Glinda Was the Bad One? (paywall) Bloomberg: OpenAI's Nvidia, AMD Deals Boost $1 Trillion AI Boom With Circular Deals (paywall) The Food Lab: How to Roast the Best Potatoes of Your Life 

What does your Zero Farts Land future look like? This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about fucks. And farts. references Empire: Jamie Lee Curtis Is Done Compromising – And She’s Not Slowing Down George Wallace (not George Wallace) Kenan Thompson on We Might Be Drunk with Normand and Morril Janelle James on Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson 

How do you strategy? This week, Aaron and Joey talk about Elliott Kalan, the School of Let's Figure It Out, emotional distance from work, working in teams, meandering, and strategy that bleeds. They don’t talk about Jamesy P. references Pure Moods Joke Farming: How to Write Comedy and Other Nonsense by Elliott Kalan 99% Invisible Podcast Episode 646: Interview with Elliott Kalan Corrections Department: Les has never ever ever heard, touched, or even seen a copy of Pure Moods and now fears his colleagues do not understand him at all. 

Why do we expect the worst? This week, Aaron and Jess talk about simple solutions, Karen moments, assuming malice, Thanos, Falkland's Law, and lemmings. They don’t talk about the famous former power forward for the Boston Celtics or the Hamburger Peddler's rhyming buddy. references Corrections Department: Camila Cabello "I'll Be Home for [Quizmois]" Glee's Kevin McHale Kevin McHale on the Loss of Naya Rivera Hanlon’s Razor Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein Cringe Blvd. Slow Horses Falkland's Law 

How has technology made us less sure of ourselves? This week, Jess and Joey talk about technological change, Christmas cards, scraping, phone numbers, friendships, and FaceTime. They don’t talk about beepers. references Ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop Rolodex propinquity Don't lose that number, Jenny Sternberg’s Triangular Theory and The 8 Types of Love Mr. Postman Desiigner "LOD Freestyle" 

Is it better to generalize or to specialize? This week, Joey and Jess talk about polymaths, running, functional fitness, idea people, curiosity, and Starship Troopers. They don’t talk about dilettantes. references Specialization is for insects. Stardew Valley Forbes: Going Pi-Shaped: How To Prepare For The Work Of The Future 129 Ways to Get a Life Robert A. Heinlein 

Are there actually interesting life innovations that are coming out of the content creation boom? This week, Joey and Jess talk about homemade pop tarts, learning letters, the power of song, TikTok, mastering movements, and apple dumplings. They don’t talk about Action Bronson. references The recipe is the sooonnggg. cool.missp: ABCs Turn Up EBITDA What Are Popovers And What Do They Taste Like? Pepperidge Farm Bakery Frozen Spiced Apple Dumplings Pastry 

How many other things do we have that we think of as imprecise but are actually pretty precise and agreed upon? This week, Joey and Jess talk about box plots, New York neighborhood names, Australian colloquialisms, measurement language, baking, and square roots. They don’t talk about The Smiths. references Box plot Reading a Box and Whisker Plot Perceptions of Probability The New York Times: An Extremely Detailed Map of New York City Neighborhoods The Journal of Neuroscience: Distinct Contributions of the Cerebellum and Basal Ganglia to Arithmetic Procedures Goldilocks Zone Square root Spiral of Theodorus Klein bottle 

What if we've become less willing to sacrifice our pawns to take the queen? This week, Jess and Joey talk about Ezra Klein, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Obama, game theory, defaulting to passion, and nuclear weapons. They don’t talk about David Lightman. references The Ezra Klein Show: Ta-Nehisi Coates on Bridging Gaps vs. Drawing Lines Nash equilibrium Mutual assured destruction A Beautiful Mind Pareto principle 

What's in your notes? This week, Aaron and Jess talk about internet chalk, bottle lining, the Pantry Challenge, gold bars, word clothes, and golden milk. They don’t talk about Gold Bond powder. references Heinz Breakfast Ketchup Paris is Burning trailer The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller Chinotto Astral Chain Bossa Bros and Nara Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell